Chapter 2: Forever in a Moment
Mara sent Maria a quick text from the airport, hoping for one last reply. Nothing. She tried again, but Maria's phone was off.
She let out a soft chuckle of disappointment. "Fine, Maria-Isabel."
With a quiet sigh, she slipped her phone back into her bag, took a deep breath, and dragged her suitcase toward check-in. She was ready to leave everything behind. Maria had been her only family in Eldorado, and now, she had no one.
Boarding the plane to Salvador, Mara settled into her window seat. She stared outside for a moment, taking in the city she had called home for the past ten years. It no longer felt like home.
Plugging in her earpiece, she pulled out her favorite book, Forever in a Moment, and flipped to the last page she had read.
A man took the seat beside her, offering a polite smile before striking up a conversation. Mara nodded, forcing a small smile in return, but she barely heard a word he said. Her heart was too heavy for small talk.
Instead, she turned back to her book, letting the words pull her into a world far from the one she was leaving behind.
Mara's plane touched down in Salvador at 9:00 p.m. She had arrived earlier than expected, and nothing was in place her apartment wasn't ready, she had no plans, and now, she felt completely stranded.
As she stepped out of the airport, pulling her suitcase behind her, a sleek black Rolls-Royce rolled up beside her. The side window lowered slightly.
"Hey, need a ride?" a familiar voice asked.
Mara turned and saw the man from the plane sitting in the passenger seat. She couldn't make out who was in the back, but she wasn't interested.